


Ships Passing in the Night

by lzclotho



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen, Neighbors AU, burning building, heroics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-02 20:34:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2825282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lzclotho/pseuds/lzclotho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a neighbors AU, putting Emma as Regina and Henry’s neighbor in Brooklyn. But it is a “ships passing in the night” brief encounter. I don’t know that they find each other again. Enjoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ships Passing in the Night

Emma slammed the Bug’s gears into neutral and pulled the handbrake before stumbling out of her car and into the chaos surrounding the apartment building. The street held a ladder truck, two emergency life support vehicles, and what seemed to be most of the surrounding five  blocks of Brooklynites. It was nearly midnight, however, making so many people milling about curiously unusual, even for the city that “never sleeps.” She rushed forward through the throng, pushing and pulling aside gawkers until she reached the cluster of residents.

The residents were recognizable, not because Emma knew her neighbors — she’d only been in the building three days — but because they were all looking bewildered, worried, and clutching robes as they spoke over one another to a bespectacled redhaired man with a clipboard.

“One at a time, please. We will find all of you alternative lodging as quickly as possible, but I have to hear each of you individually.”

“What happened?” Emma asked into the brief silence. She became the focus of everyone’s attention and surprisingly, the redheaded man smiled at her as he dealt with only one person remaining at the back of the pack now firing words at her.

“Building fire.”

“Started in somebody’s apartment, damn trees.”

“Supposed to use fire retardant,” another muttered.

“Coulda been faulty wiring from a space heater,” someone reasoned.

“I don’t care how it started. I just want it stopped. I got my kids’ Christmas presents in there, and now…nothin’,” groused a woman, arms crossed over her chest.

Emma nodded. “Was anyone hurt?” she asked.

“No, apartment where it started was empty, locked up tight. It’s why it spread so far before anybody noticed.”

“What about the fire alarms?”

“None of ‘em went off.”

She frowned. That didn’t sound good. She looked toward the building.

Another person rushed out of the milling crowd toward the cluster of residents. “Henry! Where’s Henry?”

Emma took closer notice of the woman, dark short hair windswept around angular features. She wore a thick long coat, carrying a small cloth shopping bag clutched in her fist. A late night run to the store, Emma guessed. “Who’s Henry?” Emma asked.

The redheaded man took notice of her. “What’s going on?”

“My son. Henry. He’s not here!”

“Where was he?”

“Our apartment. Seven-B,” she added quickly. “I only left for a few minutes. We didn’t have milk for his cereal in the morning.” She fidgeted with the bag and Emma spied the carton of milk peeking out from the opening.

The man scanned his clipboard then held up his hand. “Wait here.” He ran toward a firefighter.

“What?”

“I don’t think your kid came out of the building,” Emma guessed.

“He’s still in there?!” The brunette started toward the building; Emma grabbed hold of her around the waist. That, unfortunately triggered the woman’s panic response.

“Henry!” She fought against the restraint like Emma were assaulting her in the subway. “No!”

The milk-laden bag swung toward Emma’s head, “Let me go!”

The heels of the woman’s shoes stomped down on Emma’s feet.

“Damn you!”

Emma had to close her eyes against the pain as the woman screamed in her face, pushing and pushing until Emma could only do one thing to abate the sound: let go. The brunette stumbled backwards, her hands splaying to catch her falling as she landed on her rear in the street.

“My son!” Deep brown eyes seemed to reach into Emma’s chest and squeeze her heart. “Please?”

Emma nodded; without really thinking about it, she turned away from the fallen woman, only intent on doing something to wipe that panicked expression from the dark eyes. She had to find the kid. She followed the path the redheaded man had taken and drew near enough to overhear his conversation with the firefighter.

“She says her child is still in the building.”

“We cleared all the apartments.”

“Kid was alone, maybe he forgot the evacuation route,” Emma interjected.

“What? Oh,” the redheaded man turned at the sound of her voice. “What’s your name?”

“Forget that. You’ve got to go look for the kid,” Emma implored the firefighter.

“We can’t get past the fourth floor,” he told her.

“He’s supposed to be in an apartment on the seventh floor,” she said. “What about the ladder?”

“Can only get us to the fifth floor. We have to get a unit on the roof to get to the top floors.”

“Then do it.”

“But there’s a lack of structural integrity!”

“All the more reason to find that kid!” Emma pushed past them, grabbing a portable breather and, before anyone could stop her, charged into the building, rushing up the staircase.

She heard the shouting behind her, heard the beep of a radio channel opening, and knew they were telling someone about an unauthorized entering the building.

Her heart hammered, but she fought the anxiety down. She found people. That’s what she did. “C’mon, c’mon, think,” she told herself. “Frightened kid, middle of the night, mom’s not home. You smell smoke. Where do you go?”

“Find fresh air,” she told herself out loud. And the building’s roof garden suddenly popped into her mind as the most likely destination. She glanced to the right as she hit another landing, third floor.

The smoke was thick, and the smells acrid. Emma coughed, put her coat-covered forearm over her breather. “Onward and upward,” she muttered, grabbing for the stair railing and pulling herself in a series of leaps to the next landing.

Fourth floor. She glanced toward the exit door that would lead out to the fourth floor apartments. Her own place was on this floor. She reached out toward the door, pulling her hand back at the sense of heat. Okay, so… that’s that, she realized. She’d have to start over again.

Her loss was material, and very few materials at that. She continued. The mother she had met outside would lose a lot more if Emma didn’t find the kid.

Determination reignited, she made quick work of the last two floors, finding herself at the door to the roof. A hand against the surface found it cool to the touch. Okay, she thought. She pulled out her building key. Pushing on the release bar she pushed the door outward, feeling the cooler air of the outside immediately against her face. “Henry!” she called out.

“Who’re you?”

Bingo. Emma turned toward the voice, finding a boy rising from behind a large pipe. He had dark hair like his mother. “Name’s Swan,” she said. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I forgot my mom’s key for the door,” he said. “Got stuck up here.” He pointed toward the nearby edge of the roof. “I’ve been watching down at the street. But I guess no one can hear or see me up here.”

“You are kinda short stuff,” she ruffled his hair as he came close. “C’mon, let’s get you back to your mom.” She caught his shoulder as he entered the doorway. “Next time, go down not up.”

“But the fire was below me.”

“How’d you know that?”

“I was in the stairwell to leave when I heard the firefighters talking about the fourth floor.”

Emma shook her head and gave him her coat to cover his face. “Cover up and we’ll get down quickly.”

“Right.” He bunched the collar in front of his face and hurried down the steps.

“Careful!”

Emma hurried after the boy, only a step behind him as he spilled out of the street exit of the stairwell.

The brunette woman spotted him at the same time he spotted her and their shouts drew everyone’s attention.

“Mom!”

“Henry!”

Emma stood back as the brunette dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Henry looping his arms tightly around her neck. The woman cried in relief on her son’s neck.

A firefighter came over; Henry dropped Emma’s coat as he submitted to being checked over. Once mother and son had straightened and followed the firefighter to a life support unit, she bent forward and collected her coat.

“That was a very brave thing to do.” Emma turned to see the redheaded man standing nearby.

“And stupid, yeah, I know. But they weren’t gonna go after the kid.”

“It would have taken time.”

“Time he didn’t have.”

The man pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Are you a resident?”

Emma nodded. “Yeah, apartment Four-D.”

“That floor was a total loss for the residents.”

“Oh.” Emma’s face fell.

“You can stay with us!” Henry’s voice burst over the silence and Emma turned to see that the kid was bouncing, the bit of soot she’d found him with on his face already wiped clean. “Mom and I are gonna stay with Aunt Zee.”

“Aunt Zee, huh?” Emma said. She shook her head. “I’m fine. I got my own plans.”

“But you’re a hero!” Henry insisted. “We got to give you a reward. Right, Mom?” He looked up and over his shoulder at his mother stepping forward.

“A hero is rewarded, always,” the woman said. “You saved my son,” she said to Emma. “My sister has room enough.”

“I can’t impose.”

“You don’t have to pose. We like you just the way you are,” Henry said, misunderstanding Emma’s excuse.

“Uh, yeah, kid. Not what I meant but, thanks, just the same.” Emma started to turn away.

“At least tell me your name,” the brunette said.

“She’s Swan,” Henry said. “She told me.”

“Is that a first name, or a last name?” she asked curiously glancing between her son and Emma.

“If I give you my name, you have to give me yours,” Emma said.

The brunette looked a little wary of the idea, but then she looked again at Henry, who smiled wider. Apparently, anything for the kid. She held out her hand. “My name is Regina.”

Emma took it, finding a firm grip with satin soft skin. “Emma.” She glanced up to see Regina biting her lip before reluctantly tugging her hand back from the contact.

“We have to catch a taxi.”

“I’ll hail one,” Emma said. She stepped toward the next street. Henry and Regina trailing behind.

“I’ll call my sister.” Regina pulled her cellphone from her purse as they walked.

Emma became intent on flagging down a cab. She was still determined to put the kid and his mother in by themselves, but the kid was persistence personified. She’d have to be deft about it.

“Emma?” he asked as they stood on the street corner, Emma looking up and down for something to flag down.

“Yeah?”

“You make a good hero.”

Laughing softly, Emma shook her head. “I’m no hero, kid. Just stupid luck.”

“My mom’s a princess,” he said.

“I’m sure she is,” Emma chuckled, thinking that the kid really loved his mom a lot.

“You could be her knight.”

“Knights and princesses, kid? Nice fairytales your mom reads you, huh?”

She finally spotted a cab and with both arms over her head, she waved it toward them. “Here’s where you go,” she said as the cab pulled up to the curb. “Regina,” she summoned the woman away from her phone call.

“My sister is expecting us,” she said as she approached, putting her phone back in her purse. “Henry, get in.”

“Where to, ladies?” The driver came around from the other side.

“Aunt Zee’s!” Henry said, unhelpfully.

Regina supplied an address in midtown Manhattan and put her hand on Henry’s back, following him into the back seat.

Emma stepped back from the curb.

“Emma!” Henry shouted.

“Miss Swan, get in.” Regina restrained Henry but it looked to be a difficult thing.

“You’re good. Get going,” Emma told the driver, slapping the roof to signal him.

“No! You’re a knight, you have to be the hero,” Henry insisted.

“I’m nobody, kid. Stick with your mom.”

Regina gazed at her inscrutably. Emma stepped back from the car. Finally Henry sat back, his mother speaking to him sharply. Emma could see he was crying in the seat. Then Regina closed the door as the cab pulled away from the curb.

Tucking herself back into her smoke-soaked coat, Emma wrapped her arms around her waist and walked away into the night.

###


End file.
